Ragusa

Prominent façade

zoom La chiesa di San Giuseppe
La chiesa di San Giuseppe

The church of San Giuseppe (St. Joseph) is small and occupies a much smaller space than large cathedrals. This, however, did not prevent it from featuring prominently in the square. This was made possible by the design choices of the Friar Alberto Maria di San Giovanni Battista.
The façade of the new building was built further back than the previous church of San Tommaso (St. Thomas) to make it more visible from the street.
The façade is divided into three levels: in the first there is the entrance portal, on the second a louvre window , and the third acts as a bell tower.
This means that the different levels are different in size; the tallest segment contains the portal, followed by the middle and end segments.
The division, however, is not only horizontal; the free-standing columns and pilasters , resting on high bases divide the façade into three vertical parts.
This creates a play of light and shadow that seems to make the façade move; the architect achieved this effect using various decorative elements in relief and a design that sees the central part protrude further than the side sections.
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Six statues of Benedictine saints were placed on the façade: two bishop saints were placed to the sides of the portal, St. Gertrude and Scholastica on the lateral sections, and St. Benedict and St. Maurus on the second level.
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A new site for a new city

Two illustrious patron saints

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A museum to save a tradition

Church of San Giuliano (St. Julian) on Via dei Crociferi: reconstruction

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Staircase of Angels

Prominent façade

The internal colours

A hall for the feasts

Freedom of worship and the role of the Catholic Church in the diffusion of Baroque

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The theatre of taste

The Maiolica of the staircase

The façade used as a puppet theatre

One city, two sites

Some masterpieces

The city of museums

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giovanni Battista

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A prominent church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Norman apses

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Giuliano ai Crociferi

Feasting in Palazzolo

The colours of the cathedral

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Badia di Sant’Agata

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The church of Carmine

Discovering the mother church

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Giovanni Evangelista

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The two churches

A long reconstruction

A small room with a golden entrance

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

New roads for Catania

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Limestone, the colour of harmony

An eagle-shaped city

A talking palace

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A colourful floor

Between white and black

A new site for a new church

From the contrast of the exterior to the internal jubilation of colours

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the staircase of Santa Maria del Monte

Some prestigious works

A half-Baroque church

A triumph of colour

Searching for colour

The senses tell the Benedictine Monastery and San NicoIò l’Arena

The role of the religious orders in rebuilding the Val di Noto

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A city in colour

A majestic and luminous church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A symbol for the town

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The disastrous earthquake

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Baroque town by the sea

The chocolate of Modica

The Burgos crucifix

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the church of Santa Maria del Carmelo

The wall comes to life

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The interior and its masterpieces

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the Mother Church of San Nicolò and of the Santissimo Salvatore

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Many owners, one palace

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento